**Arsenal**are on the back foot as they travel to Paris for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. The team trailed Paris Saint-Germain in three minutes last week and were not able to pile on the pressure to truly test their resolve, failing to make the most of being in front of their fans.
The odds are against Mikel Arteta in his attempts to guide **Arsenal**into a Champions League final for the second time in their history and the first time since 2006. Paris Saint-Germain have only failed once to go through a European tie where they won an away match in the first leg. Luis Enrique is in charge of a squad that had stumbled at this stage last year against Borussia Dortmund and his players look like they have learned lessons to take significant steps forward this time around.
But the tie is far from over. One goal can dramatically change the outlook of this clash and lingering memories of failure in this competition could grip the fans if the Gunners handle this challenge correctly. Here are three factors that could contribute to a comeback at the Parc des Princes.
Thomas Partey’s pivotal role in the midfield
This year, the Parisians have learned how to outdo opponents in the middle of the park with endless energy and top technical quality. The return of one midfielder should help any chances of a comeback.
Thomas Partey played no part in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week. He picked up a silly yellow card in the final minutes of the quarter-final second leg at Real Madrid and missed the match last week. Without him, the Gunners got a footballing lesson for the first twenty-five minutes.
Mikel Merino is not the most mobile figure and despite the discussion about Parisian physicality, no one can doubt their intensity to give teams as little time as possible to work with the ball. Now that Partey can sit at the base of the midfield, Merino should be free to go back to his role upfront.
The return of the Ghanaian also allows Declan Rice to play as an eight. He is not the creative, small-space artist that some fans might want, but he excels as a box-to-box presence. Along with Myles Lewis-Skelly, robust ball carrying in central zones could give **Arsenal**a way forward in midfield.
Partey has already set a precedence for performance against this opponent. When the two teams met in the league phase of the tournament in October, he was one of the standout players on the pitch as **Arsenal**strolled past the Parisians to a 2-0 triumph. The Parisians have got better since that fixture, but the Gunners should have a better balance in the midfield with the Ghanaian back in the mix.
Arsenal must avoid mistakes at the back
Partey's presence could also help in another way to stop a worrying trend for the Gunners at the back.
**Arsenal**are still the club that have the best defence in the Premier League, giving up four fewer goals than **Liverpool**this season. For the most part, that defensive discipline has translated over to their contests in Europe. Their second leg showing at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Jakub Kiwior coming in for Gabriel Magalhaes in the middle of the back four, shows the strength of their spine.
But they have recently given away some sloppy chances with their work on the ball. **Arsenal**are also able to take time off the clock and contribute to clean sheets, by safely moving the ball through the first two thirds of the field, often involving the passing of David Raya at the back. However, he has given away dangerous balls deep in his half of the field and teams are trying to catch him off his line.
Jean-Philippe Mateta chipped the goalkeeper in a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against the Gunners as the Eagles came close to exploiting his errors a few times in that game. Even in the last round of the Champions League, the only goal the Gunners gave away to Los Blancos came in this situation as Raya put William Saliba under unnecessary pressure and the defender dribbled into danger.
Partey takes more risks than Rice with the ball but the option of going back to Raya to restart with the ball is also a bit of a gamble at the moment. The Parisian press ruined the rhythm for **Arsenal**in the first half last week and they will need to settle much better with the ball to be successful in Paris.
The set-piece struggle
PSG proved that they would not crumble against the pace and power of the English game. But they are still cautious of the strengths their opponents possess— especially when it comes to set-pieces.
Before the first leg, 38% of the goals that the Enrique's men had conceded came from set-pieces. Indeed, they briefly believed that **Arsenal**had pegged them back at the start of the second half as Merino headed home from a free kick, but he had been marginally offside. That was the first dead ball situation that Rice had taken on the night, and his quality could create problems for the Parisians.
The key will be to engineer as many of these situations as possible. It could come from Gabriel Martinelli motoring down the line to fire balls against the fullback. It could come from Saka having the freedom to drift off the flank and draw fouls as he did in the first leg against **Real Madrid**or Lewis-Skelly similarly attracting attention from a deeper position with his bravery on the ball.
In whatever way it happens, the Gunners have to create more of those moments than they did eight days ago. Their opponents were wise enough to avoid giving up too many of these opportunities, conceding only three corners in north London across the ninety minutes. But the Parisians do struggle to respond to waves of momentum and a reliable route to routines with set-pieces could do the trick.